The Words
by L Zaza
Summary: Boxey is being bullied, but who does he turn to when his father's advice doesn't work?


The Words

Eight magic words that would change everything. Boxey had rehearsed his delivery the night before while standing in front of the turbo wash mirror—the door locked—over and over until his father had eventually, yet inexplicably suggested he start eating more fruits and vegetables. That aside, Starbuck had promised Boxey that "the words" could solve his troubles. The boy had been ready. All through instructional period he'd been bursting at the seams to hurl those words at Colm and Diggum, the boys who had relentlessly been teasing him after school. Every day it had been the same. The cruel teasing. His shame. And he had just taken it. "Turn the other cheek", his father had told him. Well, all that happened when you turned the other cheek was that somebody would tweak that one too!

"_Boxey Boxey bo Boxey. Banana fanna fo foxey. Fe fi mo moxey. Boxey_!"

Oh, he knew he wasn't the only one. But being Commander Adama's grandson had a way of giving him special attention, not all of it favourable. At first he had ignored it. Grandfather had told him that if he didn't let on that it bothered him that it would eventually stop. But it _did _bother him. And Colm and Diggum dang well knew it!

"_Boxey Boxey bo Boxey. Banana fanna fo foxey. Fe fi mo moxey. Boxey_!"

Finally he had gone to Starbuck. As hoped, the warrior had shown a slightly different perspective than his father or grandfather.

"You can't just take things lying down, kid." Starbuck had said, his familiar fumarello stuck between his teeth as he deftly fingered a deck of cards. It was plain to the boy that the man was speaking from experience. He'd dealt with a bully or two in his time. "If you let them get away with it, they'll be bullying you all the way to graduation!"

He had blinked back tears, determined not to let his father's best friend see how upset he truly was. "I don't know what to do, Starbuck . . ." he admitted.

"You have to let them know you're not afraid of them, Boxey. You have to stand up to them. _Then_ they'll leave you alone."

He had puzzled it through for a few moments, watching concentric circles rise above the blond warrior's head before asking, "How?"

Starbuck had grinned jauntily, reaching out and mussing Boxey's hair, before replying, "I was hoping you'd ask."

It had finally come down to this moment. Boxey stepped out of his classroom feeling more confident than he had for sectons. Normally, he would hustle to get to the lunchroom, hoping he could avoid Colm and Diggum. Today though, he paused in the corridor waiting. His body was taut with anticipation as the other children started filing by. Then, _they_ turned the corner, together as usual.

Colm and Diggum.

There wasn't an uglier, meaner twosome anywhere, and he knew that most of his class would agree. Colm could turn his eyelids inside out, grossing out the bravest of children, while Diggum had a knack for "fake farting" by sticking his hand under his armpit and pumping his arm. They both revelled in horrifying and terrifying the other kids, as well as the odd unsuspecting adult.

This was it. Boxey could feel his heart thudding in his chest as he waited. Oh, he was going to show them that they couldn't make a fool of Captain Apollo's son!

Colm elbowed Diggum as he saw Boxey standing there, and the other boy glanced his way, an evil smile on his smug features. Boxey narrowed his eyes and tensed his body, just waiting. Starbuck had told him it was all in the delivery and the timing. He wouldn't let the warrior down. He could hardly wait to report back, regaling Starbuck with his heroic tale!

Then Diggum frowned, hesitantly sizing Boxey up. He nudged his friend, whispering, "Let's go."

Boxey blinked as they passed by, not uttering a word to him. He stood there in disbelief, feeling relieved yet somehow disappointed. He didn't even get to _use_ "the words"! Then the bullies passed by Tara, a pretty girl in his class that sat nearby. They eyed the blonde girl with her hair braided neatly down her back. They grinned, nudging one another, when she seemed to shrink in on herself, as though trying to disappear into the decking. He knew just how she felt.

"_Tara Tara bo bara. Banana fanna fo fara. Fe fi mo mara. Tara_!"

Laughing, Colm reached out, grabbing her lunch kit and holding it up over her head out of her reach. Her big eyes filled with tears, and her bottom lip trembled.

Boxey nearly burst with an awakened anger that had simmered for sectons. If his grandfather had been watching, he might have attributed the next microns to a finely developed sense of righteous indignation, passed on from his father. Boxey knew right from wrong, and he wasn't going to stand idly by and watch while Colm and Diggum tormented Tara. Especially now that he knew "the words". The boy drew in a deep breath, lurching forward, stamping his foot and shouting, "Buzz off, Jack, or I'll fill you in!"

Every young head in the corridor turned in surprise, and the bullies seemed to freeze, not quite knowing what to do. They dropped the lunch kit, taking off for the intersection of the corridor at top speed. Boxey swelled with pride as the other children looked at him almost reverently. Then a firm hand clamped down on his shoulder.

"To the office with you, young man," Athena barked.

xxxxxxxxxx

"_Starbuck_?" Apollo asked, his face reflecting his surprise. He blew out a breath, shaking his head, as it all suddenly fell into place. Starbuck had been raised in the Caprican Child Welfare System, and had become a master of the art of survival through bravado and bluster. Yeah, the more that he thought about it, this had Starbuck's signature all over it. Actually, he could consider himself lucky that the lieutenant hadn't counselled Boxey to threaten to shove a thermos down Colm's throat. Apollo glanced at his sister who looked more amused than upset. He raised a sceptical eyebrow at her, and she quickly controlled her features, relapsing into the concerned teacher. The captain returned his attention to his son. "Starbuck told you to say that?"

Boxey nodded from where he sat in the Principal's Office. Athena. Principal Payne. Now his father. One adult after another had told him that his behaviour—or more exactly, his choice of words—had been inappropriate.

"Boxey, did Starbuck tell you what it _means_?" Apollo asked. "Do you _know _what it means?"

The boy glanced from one to the other, mulling "the words" over. Actually, they didn't make much sense. However . . . "It doesn't really matter, Dad. It works!" He couldn't help the little smile of pleasure that crept over his face, when he thought back to the look on everybody's face after his outburst. Colm and Diggum wouldn't be bothering him anymore. Or Tara. And when he shared the power of "the words" with the rest of his friends, they too would be ready for anything! Oh, what was that his father was saying?

". . . _Boxey_," Apollo finished thoughtfully, patting his son's knee. Being summoned to the Office in the middle of the day for his son's behaviour was a new experience for the strike captain, but his wingman's unsuspected involvement pretty much explained everything. He glanced at his chrono. "We'll talk more about this after we get home. I have to get back to the duty office, son."

"Okay, Dad," Boxey replied. He glanced back at Athena as his father gave him a stern look before heading out the door. "Can I go back to class now, Athena?"

"Yes, Boxey. But no more "Buzz off, Jack" or you'll be right back in the Principal's Office. Do you understand?" she asked, her features deadly serious.

"Yes, Ma'am," the boy replied, jumping to his feet with a spring in his step.

Starbuck had been right. The words had worked. Or . . . maybe it wasn't so much the words, as the confidence he had felt just having them to fall back on. And while Boxey knew he would obviously have to choose the times carefully when he used them, the words were a powerful tool that would see him through times of uncertainty.

"_Lieutenant Starbuck, report to Captain Apollo in the Duty Office on the double. Lieutenant Starbuck, report to Captain Apollo in the Duty Office on the double_."

Boxey frowned when he heard the overhead comm. Obviously, he wasn't the only one that was going to get a talking to from his father. However, if anybody could find just the right words to get out of it, Starbuck could.

The End

Dedicated to my Dad who first taught me "the words" back in 1972.


End file.
